ARCHIVED - Archaeologists return to the palace of the Wolf King near Murcia

The Castillejo in Monteagudo is close to the castle of Ibn Mardanis and the emblematic statue of Christ

As interest increases in and around the city of Murcia in the legacy left by the Moorish “Wolf King”, Ibn Mardanis, in the 12th century, archaeologists have returned to the remains of the Castillejo palace in Monteagudo for an excavation which will last until the end of September.

This palace is located no more than a few hundred metres from the castle of Monteagudo, on top of which the emblematic statue of Christ was placed in the mid-20th century. The statue is now considered iconic of the countryside around the regional capital, but in some ways its placement on the ruins of the Wolf King’s castle could be seen as nothing short of sacrilege: in fact, the original statue was blown up with dynamite in the early days of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, adding to the inevitable structural damage already caused by the passing of the centuries.

The Castillejo, though, is a lesser known site, and the dig being undertaken in September is the second organized by the School of Arabic Studies of the CSIC scientific investigation council. Among the aims of the team is to learn more about the ruins which were first explored and documented in 1924, and which have been left to ruin ever since.

One of the aspects already established is that the Castillejo in fact consists of two palaces, one built on top of the other, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries: this mirrors the findings at the Convento de las Claras in the centre of Murcia, where the Wolf King’s palace was destroyed by the Almohad dynasty when they conquered Murcia in 1172 before another was built during the following century by Ibn Hud (1228-38).

The dig is being financed largely by a grant of 30,000 euros from the regional government of Murcia, and at the same time it has been announced that at the nearby castle or fortress of Monteagudo a containing wall is to be built in order to prevent rocks from falling down towards the town below.